Beyond Deception
by jiraiya's editor
Summary: Sango, a survivor of her slaughtered clan. Itachi, the one who slaughtered his clan. One seeking to extract punishment. The other seeking punishment. These two polar opposites, brought together by the darkness and moonlight. [NarutoInuyasha Xover] ONESHOT


I honestly have no idea why I'm even writing about Inuyasha at all nowadays… I haven't even done anything related to Inuyasha for like the past something-odd months. Oh well, I don't own Inuyasha or Naruto. Enjoy this ficlet- it'll probably be the only one that I'll ever write that's a cross-over. Oh, and I noticed that there was a story with the similar pairings? I'm not too sure though (it was in Portuguese) So… yeah. Sorry about the unoriginal pairing. Oh yeah.. and the scenes near the end are taken from Natasuki Takaya's Furuba (vol. 9). And the ending is taken from Princess Bride by S. Morgenstern (abridged by William Goldman) T-T I seriously AM unoriginal… how pitiful.

**Summary**: Sango- the only other survivor of her slaughtered clan. Itachi- the one who slaughtered his clan. One seeking to extract punishment and revenge. The other seeking punishment and awaiting vengeance. Her brother was lost to death. His brother was clinging to life. These two polar opposites, brought together by the darkness and moonlight. NarutoInuyasha Xover oneshot

**Beyond Deception **

**By fadedmoon (now known as jiraiya's editor)**

A young girl treaded along the riverbank still fresh with the morning dew. Her hair was left down rather than its usual low ponytail. Slowly, she made her way, stepping softly on the moist ground. A thin fog wrapped itself about the nearby forest and cloaked the young girl. Her figure made its way silently along the yet-to-be made trail.

Some ways behind her, her five companions slept soundly. The hanyou Inuyasha was supposed to be on the night watch, but Sango had awakened to the sound of his snores- not to mention a lecherous hand of a certain monk, inching its way towards her.

Sango gave a small sigh- she had had the dream again. The same dream that had haunted her for weeks upon weeks and months upon months. She has supposed that by now, she would have gotten used to it- but the dream always came new and fresh to her every time she dreamt. Kirara had arisen to the stirring of her master and was now sleepily keeping watch in the stead of the hanyou as Sango sauntered away.

The demon exterminator had things to think about. Things, she was sure, that would probably bring her to the verge of grieving tears. Sango didn't want to trouble Kagome with her own problems. And so, here she was now, walking through thin fog- her circle of friends behind her, the mist around her, and now, several rocks jutting out into the river were before her.

'_I guess this will do…_' her soul grimaced, '_It wouldn't be too pleasant if they awoke to find me wandering far away._'

She lightly leapt from stone to stone, coming to a stop on a comfortably large, smooth rock that was positioned in the middle of the river. Sango sat, bringing her knees up to rest her chin on, wrapping her arms securely about her legs. This physical retraction brought her inner peace and reassurance.

'_Reassurance of what?_' her mind retorted, '_That we'll just find all the shards then waste the rest of our merry lives doing nothing?_'

Shutting her eyes tightly, the demon exterminator tried to block out the mental images of the slaughtering of her clan. Friends, family, loved ones- they all fell in the midst of a red haze.

Something lightly skimmed the surface of her pale cheek. A warmth of a liquid fell onto her skirt. She was crying. Sango miserably blinked at herself. She was usually pretty good at keeping her emotions locked away from everyone. She had never dared to let her tears flow before her clan.

More tears fell, and now her tears were streaming. Sango raised a hand to her cheek, wiping away the clear trail and let the droplet fall to the river's surface that reflected the full moon. Daybreak would be coming within a couple of hours- she would stay here til then. A choked sob came from her as her tears came forth once again.

* * *

The moonlight eluded a shadowy figure as it traveled through the thickness of the dimly lit forest. His black cloak absorbed all light that touched it. The cloak's pattern of red clouds was the only thing to be seen through the dark trees- a phantom of red clouds floating through the dim light.

Far behind him, his partner in darkness slept. Not soundly, of course- they were being hunted by the ANBU of their respective countries- if they ever slept soundly, they'd end up dead.

Nevertheless, this dark shadow continued its way towards the sound of flowing water. He was human- although everyone had known him as a genius; he was still very much human. Many of his abilities seemed inhuman, but he was still a human. He still felt pain and fear the same way everyone else did. He still had a heart. Or so he thought.

Either way, he had things to think about. Things, he was sure, that he would never be able to fully contemplate unless he got away from the shark-man's freakish way of sleeping with his eyes open.

'_How do people actually sleep with their eyes open?_' Itachi questioned himself. He knew he would probably never figure it out.

It was true that Itachi had cold-bloodedly slaughter his entire clan- but was he that cold-blooded? No. He couldn't be.

'_I wanted to test out my strength… my limits._' He reminded himself.

The Itachi that his clan adored and practically worshiped, could have never turned against them and murder all of them. Itachi was their future. Itachi was their _god_. Itachi this, Itachi that. Their love of the clan was sickening and it was stunting his growth. He had to choose, he knew- his clan and limited strength or guilt and eternal power. In the end, he had chosen power and guilt. Was it ironic? No. Itachi knew himself better than that. But why did he not know himself well enough to explain this feeling deep within him?

He turned his black eyes to the moonlit sky. That night, he reminisced, was very similar to _that_ night.

On nights like these… how would his younger brother be faring?

* * *

Less than hundred yards away now, the young girl had been contemplating similar thoughts.

Where would her brother be right now? Was he cold? Was he injured? Was he even alive?

She could still see him standing next to Naraku like a puppet, controlled by the Shikon Jewel shard.

Who did that insane man think he was to play with lives of ordinary humans?

She would find him, she vowed to herself again, she would find him and-

The sound of leaves rustling brought her out of her thoughts as she scrambled to her feet.

Thirty feet away, red eyes gleamed in the darkness.

'_Naraku…_'

* * *

Itachi had been lost in thought when he suddenly realized that his feet had carried him far already.

Stopping for a moment, he looked about him- the setting still looked pretty much the same, except the trees seemed to be growing thinner.

Itachi frowned. He would soon be reaching an opening and would need to keep his guard up.

He continued on his way, this time with a bit more caution.

Soon enough, he could hear the sound of water. He figured he was near a river.

'_Thinking by a river on a night of a full moon is always pleasant,_' he thought unemotionally.

Just as he was about to step out of the shelter of the trees, he noticed a figure up ahead on the rocks.

Looking a second time, he realized that it was a girl around his age.

'_A pretty girl, no less,_' he thought, absentmindedly taking a step forward into a bush.

Panicking inside (he never looks panicked on the outside), he activated the Sharingan just as the girl spun around and stood up.

* * *

Keeping her dark eyes locked on the gleaming red ones in the distance, she reached for her boomerang that was on her back… well, at least where it should have been on her back.

'_Oh crap,_' she thought, panicking, '_I forgot my boomerang…_'

Still, she wouldn't let being practically weaponless get to her.

"Where is my brother?" she demanded of the red eyes, "Where is Kohaku?"

The red eyes blinked as their owner emerged from the shadows.

"Your… brother?"

Sango gaped at the sight before her… This man wasn't Naraku- he did not resemble him at the least. Compared to Naraku, this young man before her was handsome.

'_Almost as handsome as Miroku,_' she thought. But unlike Miroku, he appeared to be more serene.

'_Another incarnation?_' she eyed him uneasily.

"W-Who are you?" she called out wearily.

The red eyes didn't seem to change.

"Who I am is to none of your concern."

Sango frowned inside. Up to now, Naraku's incarnations had always been arrogant, snobby, pompous, and loudly obnoxious. Well, all excluding that freaky albino girl- but she had her share of talking too much. Why was this one not proudly boasting who he was and that he was a minion of Naraku?

"What do you want?" Sango asked.

Itachi looked at the girl.

"I came here to think… and I am going to think, if you would politely leave me be."

Sango glared at the young man who treated her like a simpleton.

Pompous? Yes. That was enough to tell her that this was another one of Naraku's freak spawns.

But then Miroku and Inuyasha were both pompous at times… not to mention Sesshoumaru. But Sesshoumaru was a big-time pompous.

She furrowed her brows.

There was only one way to find out.

"Take off your clothes."

Itachi stared at her without a trace of emotion, but inside he was gaping at her incredulously. This pretty girl was certainly aggressive- in the wrong way, too.

"Why should I?" he asked her with the slightest trace of a smirk on his otherwise emotionless face.

Sango, on the other hand, just realized what she had said and began to turn a deep shade of red.

"N-no, I di-didn't mean it th-that way!"

"Oh?" Itachi was now smirking at her.

Sango put her hands in front of her.

'_He acts just like Miroku!_' she panicked, '_but still… he is much more serene about it._'

An eerie smile lingered n his features.

"I meant, prove that you aren't Naraku's incarnation by showing me that you do not bear the mark of the spider."

"Who is Naraku?"

Sango stared. Was he just playing stupid with her just to catch her off guard?

"Naraku is the man who murdered my whole clan as well as took my younger brother, Kohaku, as a hostage."

The young girl noticed that his eyes flickered, but otherwise seemed unmoved.

Itachi looked long and hard at the girl before him. She had been crying- tears had stained her otherwise perfect cheeks. Natural beauty blossomed from within her. One would not suspect such a girl to experience the hardships of which she spoke.

"I'm sorry about your clan and your brother," Itachi spoke softly, bowing slightly, "But I am not the man you seek."

Sango watched astounded as the young man's red eyes changed to black.

"I am Uchiha Itachi," he said introducing himself, "And you are?"

She stood there shocked at such polite manners that she almost forgot his question.

"I-I'm Sango…"

Itachi smiled and walked closer to her.

"A pretty name suits a pretty girl like you."

"Oh, no! No, not at all…" Sango blushed.

Itachi gave another soft smile.

"You were crying… were you mourning the loss of your clan or were you just crying because you are lonely?"

Sango looked down.

"I know the pain that you endure… as well."

Sango looked back up at him, studying his face carefully.

"How?"

Itachi looked away towards the fading moon.

"My clan is gone as well… and my younger brother is lost to the darkness… because he loathes me."

The demon exterminator looked shocked. Was it really this possible that there was another that had the same story as her?

Itachi came to a stop on a rock next to the one she stood on and sat down.

"You don't mind, do you?"

Sango shook her head as she sat down as well.

"I really like sitting and thinking by a river on nights of the full moon," she commented nonchalantly, "You said you came here to think, right?"

"…Yes."

Their dark eyes met as Sango examined him.

"Your head plate has a symbol on it…" she said, "What does it mean?"

Itachi lightly touched the metal of his forehead protector, running his fingers on the rough groove of the slash that ran through the leaf.

"It symbolizes…" he thought, "the loss of my home."

"Oh… I'm sorry."

"Don't be," Itachi gave her a reassuring smile, "I've learnt to move on… I'm content with what I have now…"

Sango found herself smiling along with him.

'_She's even prettier, smiling…_' Itachi thought.

Soon enough, the two went back to their own thoughts, enjoying each other's company all the while.

_I'm__ content with what I have now._

Sango leaned her head back, letting her hair fall straight down her back as she watched the bright moon hanging in the sky.

'_I hope that I can achieve that one day…_' she thought, '_To__ be content… with just what I have._'

Was that the life she really wanted? Would she be happy living like that?

Either way, she knew one thing right now- she was happy right now.

She was happy that she had met Itachi. There was a kindness within his smile and words- a kindness that came from loneliness.

"You know…" Itachi began, catching Sango's attention again, "Usually… I would never usually do this."

Sango looked at his questioningly, "Why?"

"Well…" he looked thoughtful, "It's a waste of my time."

Sango looked a bit shocked.

_ A waste of his time?_

"It's just pointless. After everything that I've been through… I've learned that the only things that are really precious to us are power, time, and our very lives."

Now, Sango was really shocked.

"And I don't mean power as in power-power. It's like the power of choice… the power of doing something… the power to…"

Sango tuned him out.

Was he really serious?

Did he really think that this time… this couple of hours that they had spent together was a _waste_ of his time?

Sango couldn't believe it.

"Sango?"

"I'm sorry," she said, standing up quickly.

"Wait… what?" Itachi looked at her confused, and stood as well.

"I'm sorry that I'm wasting your time right now!" she spoke angrily, and getting angrier by the second.

"Sang-" he said, reaching out to her.

"No," she said, moving her hand away from his reach, then quickly walking past him, back to the riverside, "I'm sorry that this was a complete waste of your time!"

Itachi showed no emotion of being angry nor hurt.

"I don't know why… but I thought… I thought that this was something special. We are so alike in many ways… and for us to be meeting here on some random night-!"

Itachi looked away.

"We aren't really that alike…" he said softly.

"What?" Sango asked, "But you said your clan… your famil-"

"I killed them."

Sango stared at the young man before her.

Itachi? Murdering his whole clan? His _family_?

"Why?"

Itachi's black eyes penetrated into hers.

"I sought power…" he explained, "However… I ended up with guilt."

Sango felt like nothing.

Less than four feet away stood a man who had massacred his clan. After all, who in their sane mind could feel secure when someone like that is that close to you?

"Well… now you know," Itachi looked somewhat desolate, "I couldn't have hidden it from you forever, anyways."

Sango listened to his words carefully.

'_Forever?_' she thought, '_how long was he planning to be around me?_'

"I know… that you're probably scared now," he went on, "I can't tell you to stay here with me… you probably think I'm insane or something of that sort."

Her dark eyes skimmed his face. She could tell that he was being honest. He was a dangerous man… but somehow- just somehow- she knew that his being dangerous wouldn't affect her.

"Itachi?" she called out his name, "I think… I think that I understand you… just a little."

His eyes met hers again.

"But still- I'm happy that we met."

Itachi was a bit shocked.

"I'm happy that we met! I was happy tonight for being able to spend time with you! I didn't think it was a waste of time… I thought that it meant something… because I was happy..."

Sango turned tearful eyes to him.

"However… I guess you don't feel the same way," she spoke, her voice quivering, "I should go now. Good-bye, Itachi-san."

She turned to head back to her group.

The sun had begun rising, bringing light to the dark world. The first of morning light had begun hitting the clouds- turning the sky light.

Itachi stood in a daze. She was happy?

'_Could it was been possible that she was feeling the same way that I was?_'

"Sango…" he barely whispered her name as he watched her back disappear at a curve of the river.

* * *

Sango stormed her way back towards their camp. She was really upset now, and her tears were threatening to spill. But she was more mad than she was sad.

'_For goodness sake!__ I can't believe it! Why am I about to cry? I never cry…_' she thought furiously as she went along, '_Why…?_'

She slowed down and came to a halt. She was afraid to look back… but she wanted to- she wanted to know.

Slowly, she turned her head, looking behind her for the dark figure with intriguing red clouds.

But there was none.

He hadn't come after her…

Sango felt her heart drop as her face fell downcast. It didn't stop her from waiting just a moment more. But there was still no Itachi.

Her heart hardened.

'_I guess he really did mean that I was wasting his time..._' she thought disdainfully as she turned back on her way.

Suddenly, a flash of black appeared before her causing her to run into him.

"AHH!"

"Sango!"

She looked up to see Itachi's dark eyes staring into her again. Before she could lose herself into his eyes, she pushed herself away.

"What do you want?" she asked not looking at him.

"Sango…" Itachi spoke, in almost a pleading voice, "I'm sorry… I spoke without thinking. Please don't cry."

She whirled on him.

"I'm NOT crying!"

He looked at her seriously.

"I was happy, too. Really… I'm happy that we met."

He took a step closer towards her.

"Sango…" he spoke, whispering her name in her ear, "I don't want you to leave me..."

It was then that Sango realized something- she wanted to be there with him… to watch him… to hold him… to be with him… forever.

He put a hand to her cheek, softly stroking it as his other hand ran through her hair. She closed her eyes to his touch.

'_If only I could…_' he thought, breathing in her scent, '_If only I could see you smile and smile with you… forever._'

He leaned in close to her, closing his eyes as he lightly let his lips brush against hers.

"But you must…"

Sango opened her eyes to his voice, and was greeted by the site of his back to her as he walked away.

'_It's__ like he just said: I love you,_' she watched after him.

But still… he was just going to leave her like that?

She wasn't going to let him.

"Itachi!"

He didn't want to turn around, he might not be able to say goodbye. But then, it was really unkind for him to leave her after kissing her.

He reluctantly turned to Sango's call.

Sango flew into his arms, wrapping hers about his neck as she pulled him in.

* * *

There have been six great kisses ever recorded in all of time.

This one left them all behind.


End file.
